In the City of Silks

The poets sing!

A modern copy of a Tang Dynasty silk gown from Chengdu

A Vision of Spring at the City of Silks
Zhuo Yingying

The gentle breezes decorate
The City of the Silks in spring,
As soft as silk the raindrops fall
Where blossom-jewels are opening.
We'll bring a poet's eye to scenes
Of beauty we are visiting:
The flowers are bright, the wine is warm
And we have time enough to sing.

卓英英  锦城春望	
和风装点锦城春，细雨如丝压玉尘。
漫把诗情访奇景，艳花浓酒属闲人。

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There are dozens of “Vision of Spring” poems in the Tang canon. They cover an enormous range of tones and emotions, but many are joyful hymns to pleasure like this one.

Zhuo Yingying (fl. early 9^th century).

The City of the Silks was Chengdu, now the capital of Sichuan Province. Sichuan is a major centre for silk production, and the name City of the Silks came from the presence of the Silk Bureau, the government body responsible for regulating the silk industry.